Shadow in the Sun
by Darth Stitch
Summary: Kenshin has been haunted by many shadows in his past. This time, as a blood-drinking killer stalks Tokyo, another shadow returns to Kenshin, one who has transcended death and rebirth...
1. Prologue: the Rurouni and the Battousai

DISCLAIMER & OTHER STUFF: Rurouni Kenshin is the creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki (All hail!!). No copyright infringement is intended, no profit is being made off this. This is merely a piece of fanfic meant for entertainment purposes only. This story is supposed to take place after the Kyoto and Revenge arcs. As much as I loved the first episode of that new OAV series, I will be ignoring it for now since I haven't finished it yet. This, folks, is major AU.   
  
Flames will be blasted away by the Revenant Prince & Alucard of Castlevania (mwaahahahahahahahaha!).   
  
Beyond death and rebirth,  
There are ties that can never be broken.  
Memories that refuse to be forgotten.  
Paths that remain the same.  
And a destiny that cannot be changed…   
  
Shadow in The Sun  
A Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X  
Fan Fic by the Kat a.k.a. Jedi Skysong  
  
My care is like my shadow in the sun,  
Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it,  
Stands and lies by me, does what I have done.   
  
--Queen Elizabeth Tudor of England  
from the novel "Legacy" by Susan Kay   
  
The rurouni was wandering down a long corridor, doors lined up on either side of him. Behind each door was a memory—some of happy days filled with sunlight and the bright laughter of children. But most of those memories were of dark nights filled with terror and pain, of the stench of blood and entrails, of the screams of the dying.   
  
The rurouni chose not to open these doors tonight. He'd been down this way too many times as it were. Tonight, he stared straight ahead, walking steadily towards the door at the end of the room.   
  
He slid the door open. The room was pitch dark. The rurouni went inside, unerringly finding his way to the middle of the room. He sat down on the floor, placing his sword in front of him and waited.   
Somewhere, a light was struck, slowly brightening up the room. The rurouni was sitting in front of a small table. A pot of tea and a small bottle of sake had been set there, along with two cups. A young samurai was sitting across from the rurouni, on the other side of the table.   
  
The two were a study in contrasts. The samurai wore a simple, yet well-made uniform in shades of purple and blue. His long red hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and his eyes seemed to flicker from a pale violet to a deep gold. Two swords—a katana and a wakizashi—lay in front of him. Though he was small and seemingly slight of form, a palpable aura of danger surrounded him, leaving no room for doubt that he was a deadly and formidable swordsman.   
  
On the other hand, the rurouni looked as if he'd seen better days. His gi and hakama were patched and worn. His red hair was caught by a strip of cloth at his nape and his eyes were an unusual shade of violet. The sword that lay in front of him was a sakabatou—its sharp and blunt edges reversed, a sword unsuitable for killing. He looked very young, his delicate little face always wearing a sweet, gentle expression, giving him an innocent and harmless air, except for the shadows in his eyes and the cross-shaped scar on his cheek.   
  
As different as they seemed at first glance, the rurouni and the samurai shared one thing in common—their faces were exactly the same. But then, that wasn't surprising, since the rurouni and the samurai were essentially the same person. Only, they were just different sides of the same coin.   
  
The rurouni spoke first. "Battousai. Why have you called me?"   
  
"We need to talk."   
  
"I thought we had more or less settled things already." The rurouni bent over a little to pour himself some tea.   
  
Battousai laughed softly. "It's not that. Though I did have a hell of a time getting you to accept me."   
  
The rurouni flushed slightly. "It's not easy for anyone to come to terms with their dark side."   
  
Battousai shook his head. "I'm not really your 'evil twin', Kenshin." He paused to pour himself some sake. "I am the part of you that is capable of cold, ruthless action. I hold all your shadows, all your dark emotions. And I am also the one who ensures we survive. You—and all those that we love."   
  
"Kaoru."   
  
Battousai smiled faintly. "She's wonderful."   
  
The rurouni's smile was an echo of the other's. "We don't deserve her."   
  
"True. And then, there's the rest of our little family too. I will not let anything happen to them. Especially now." He sipped his sake and made a face. "Feh. It still tastes like blood."   
  
Kenshin—the rurouni, shook his head. "It's the guilt, Battousai. That's why we stay away from sake, remember?"   
  
"Hn. Guilt's a poisonous emotion, Kenshin. We'd better work this out sooner or later, if only for the sake of our sanity."   
  
"Careful," said Kenshin, a mischievous glint lighting up his eyes. "Do you want to start sounding like Saitoh?"   
  
"Che! Kenshin—" Battousai choked for a moment, then, he struck back, devilment in his golden eyes. "Well, we share more in common with him than you think."   
  
Kenshin shuddered. "No thanks! Let's not even go there."   
  
Battousai sipped again at his sake. "Blood or not, I still need a drink. All Shishou's fault—of course, the one thing we must've picked up from him. You'll be wanting one too, after I tell you what's going on." He set his cup down. "Something is wrong, Kenshin. I don't know what it is and I don't like that. But it bodes danger for us and for our family."   
  
In the waking world, the rurouni would not consciously remember all his dreams. But now, here in this place, he did. "The blood dreams..."   
"Hai." Battousai poured himself another cup of sake. "The dreams where we stalked Kyoto as the hitokiri, when we killed all those people—"   
"—and enjoyed it," concluded Kenshin sickly. "Delighting in it, especially when the blood ran on the ground. But we never—"   
  
"No," said Battousai harshly. "I enjoy the battle, Kenshin, you know this. As I've said, I hold all the dark emotions you feel. But bloodlust—berserker furies, this is not me. Not us. Never us. You don't remember the dreams when you wake—I've tried to protect you from them. But now, you must remember."   
  
"But why are we having these dreams? If it's from guilt, I can understand. But this--?" Kenshin was baffled.   
  
"The last time we were haunted by dreams of the past, Saitoh came to challenge us. Then, we had to leave for Kyoto to battle Shishio."   
  
"These dreams are a warning then."   
  
"Not quite." Battousai paused, obviously trying to grope for words.   
"The dreams aren't just warnings. They're something else." His golden eyes were troubled. "Some thing is making us dream these dreams, Kenshin. I can sense it. You know we have certain talents—our warrior's sixth sense is one of them. It warns us when danger is coming. And it IS coming. Watch out for it, Kenshin. I am afraid…"   
  
And then, Himura Kenshin woke up.   
  
***  
  
A/N: Yes, I'm dusting off this fanfic and going back to work on it again. Those who've seen this before on KFFDISC can expect a bit of tweaking and some updating. It's been a while since I've really gone serious on RK but I am going back. 'Sides - this is going to all tie in on a major crossover fic I'm planning.  
  
Now, to outwit Darth Real Life! 


	2. Chapter 1: The Gai-jin Swordswoman

Chapter 1   
  
It began with a dream.   
  
For as long as he could remember, Father Andrei Rosetti could foresee the presence of the Evil Ones in his dreams. It was a gift he had, bestowed on him by the Lord. His dreams were true dreams, the warnings he received whenever the creatures of Hell were near.   
  
And now, with the first death, he knew that his dream had been correct. As always.   
  
The young priest had presided over the funeral himself. He had watched and prayed as they laid the dead man out for his coffin, had seen the tell-tale wounds. If he had not been forewarned, he would not have believed it. This was Japan-for the love of God! Not his poor afflicted village back in Romania!   
  
But he had been warned. He never doubted his premonitions. Father Rosetti blessed the corpse and secretly performed the sacred rites that would ensure his peace in the grave. He had never thought he would have to do this again but apparently, it was God's will. The demon that he had thought he would never see outside his native land was now here in Japan.   
  
The demon he saw in his vision was a true prince of darkness, not one of those poor gibbering blood-crazed fools rising from their graves. He was ancient and incredibly powerful. This one would not be cowed so easily beneath the sacred power of cross and holy water.   
  
Such a creature must not be permitted to feed on helpless mortals any more. He had already sent for the best and finest warriors of Holy Mother Church to aid him. With God on their side, they would hunt the demon down and destroy him.   
  
Yes. The priest kissed the cross of his rosary fervently, shuddering as the image of the demon came to his mind's eye. He could still remember the demon's blood-red hair and those feral, golden eyes…   
  
***  
  
It was midnight and he was hunting the streets once more. The legendary Hitokiri Battousai. The assassin who struck from the shadows with unholy speed, who could seemingly take half a dozen men, if not more, with one sweep of his sword. People dared not even breathe a whisper of his name.   
  
They feared him, as they should.   
  
The Battousai's golden eyes gleamed as he caught sight of his prey. His sword flashed and blood splattered on his clothes, on his face and hair. The blood trickled down to his lips. His tongue snaked out, savoring the taste of it…   
  
***  
  
"Kenshin!"   
  
"Oro?" Kenshin started, blinking soft violet eyes in surprise.   
  
Kaoru stared at him in concern. "You zoned out in the middle of the street, Kenshin. Are you all right?"   
  
Kenshin looked at the bright morning scene, at the crowds of people walking the streets. He shook his head, trying to shake away the image of a past that had never been.   
  
*Bloodlust…berserker furies…this is not us, Kenshin. Never us…*  
  
"Oi, Kenshin, you're starting to scare Jou-chan," warned Sanosuke.   
  
"I'm all right," said Kenshin quickly. "I'm sorry. I'm still a little sleepy, I guess."   
  
His wife shook her head. "You haven't been sleeping very well these past few nights. Maybe you should rest once we get back home."   
  
Yahiko snorted. "And have you cooking? We might as well go back to the Akabeko for lunch too!"   
  
"And just what are you trying to say, Yahiko-chan?" Kaoru shot back.   
  
"Don't call me 'chan'!"  
  
Sanosuke twhapped the boy upside the head. "Oi, Yahiko-CHAN, stop upsetting Jou-chan. She's in a delicate condition right now."  
  
"DAMNNIT, DON'T CALL ME CHAN!"  
  
"Maa, maa," began Kenshin, slipping into his peacemaker role as usual. "We're in the middle of the street-"   
  
"And people are staring," snickered Sanosuke, blithely ignoring Yahiko's attempts to chew on his spiky hair.   
  
Kenshin slipped back into his thoughts as the rest of his little family went through their usual round of bickering and bantering. The dream, no-nightmare, came back to him with horrifying clarity. It was a familiar memory-he could recall the precise day that it happened. He knew the face of the man he had killed, remembered every detail of that night, right up to when he first received the black envelope that was the man's death warrant. But in this nightmare, it was as if he was seeing it through a distorted mirror, the event turned and twisted beyond recognition.   
  
*I like to practice the sword arts, but I have never enjoyed killing people. *  
  
It had been such a long time ago since he'd spoken those words. All the while, everyone else bought into the legend of the cold-blooded master assassin, the killer in the shadows who spared no one in his wake. But the truth was, the Hitokiri Battousai killed in order to protect and defend…the people, his fellow samurai, for justice, for change, to rebuild the world anew according to his vision. A million reasons, all good and true and right. That was what he had thought at the time. That was what he had believed in. He killed with cold, ruthless precision, destroying what he saw as a threat and a danger to the country he loved.   
  
Not these dark visions where he enjoyed the blood and death, relished the screams of the dying.   
  
*Bloodlust…berserker furies…never us…never us…*  
  
Suddenly, all of his instincts screamed a warning. Without hesitation, Kenshin grabbed Kaoru by the waist and dove for the ground, carefully shielding her body with his own to soften the fall. "Look out!"   
  
The words were barely out of his mouth when an incredibly powerful explosion sent everyone else sprawling on the street.   
  
"What the fuck was that?!!" exclaimed Sano.   
  
"Owwww….my ears," moaned Yahiko.   
  
Kenshin hadn't even managed a single "oro". He was too busy seeing to his dazed and pregnant young wife.   
  
"Kaoru-chan? Are you all right? The baby--?" he asked, violet eyes wide with worry. They had only recently found out that Kaoru was pregnant with their first child. All of them had been overjoyed by the news but of course, Kenshin's protective instincts had kicked into overdrive. Not to mention the rest of the Kenshin-gumi guys.   
  
"Daijoubu. We're both okay for the moment," answered Kaoru, shaking her head to clear it, and absently rubbing her stomach protectively at the same time. She caught her husband's worried look and smiled at him reassuringly. "What on earth happened?"   
  
"Oh shit," breathed Sano, as the smoke from the explosion cleared. "Look at that, Kenshin!"   
  
An open carriage had overturned in the middle of the street. A young foreign boy was struggling to drag his unconscious companion away from the wreck. As the smoke cleared some more, several men armed with an assortment of knives, swords and nunchukus. At least four men were carrying pistols.   
  
"Kill them both!" screamed a burly, orange-haired man.   
  
The gunmen raised their arms to fire. There was a sudden flash of steel and the gunmen found their pistols sliced in half.   
  
Everyone stared in surprise at the foreign boy, who was unmistakably wielding a Japanese katana.   
  
"Try that again and I'll take your hands off next," said the youth…in a high sweet voice that plainly marked "him" as a girl. Black hair that had been carefully pinned and coiled now fell in long waves down her back.   
  
"Holy shit," said Sanosuke. "A gai-jin girl?"   
  
"And she apparently knows kenjutsu as well," said Kenshin, watching as the girl take a familiar defensive stance.   
  
"No way," breathed Yahiko.   
  
The goons had lost their guns but they still had their other weapons. After the initial shock, they lost no time in attacking her. The girl grimly took them on, moving with consummate speed and skill. She had already brought several goons down but it seemed that every time she turned, more of them seemed to show up.   
  
"She's good but she's not going to last long like that," said Kaoru.   
"Kenshin--?" She turned to look at her husband but he had already gone. She abruptly realized where he went and began to move when Yahiko stopped her.   
  
"We gotta stay back, Kaoru," said the boy with uncharacteristic restraint.   
"Kenshin's not gonna forgive me if anything happens to you and the kid you're carryin'."   
  
While the foreign girl had been kept busy fighting, another goon was already sneaking up on the unconscious man lying on the ground. He raised his sword for the killing blow-   
  
--and was blocked by Kenshin's sakabatou.   
  
The goon's eyes widened as he took in Kenshin's long red hair and the cross-shaped scars on his cheek. "Holy shit!" he yelped. "It's the Battousai!"   
  
*Sometimes,* thought the part of Kenshin that was Battousai in dark amusement, *it is good to be recognized. *  
  
The rurouni winced mentally in answer as he quickly sent the goon sprawling on the ground with a dislocated shoulder. *Not funny.* He took down several more with a few quick slashes of his reverse-edged sword. They didn't die but they were going to be in a lot of pain for several very long weeks.   
  
"Hey!" yelled Sanosuke, jumping into the fray, "Leave some for me!"   
  
Kenshin smiled inwardly as his rooster-headed friend wreaked havoc among the rest of the goons with his bare hands and feet. Sanosuke was definitely in his element as he cheerfully broke bones and loosened teeth among their enemies.   
  
Several shots were fired into the air. Kenshin noted with relief that the police had finally arrived. That had finally sent the rest of the goons running for their lives. Their orange-haired leader was nowhere in sight. Apparently, he had been the first to disappear.   
  
"Aw, crap!" Sanosuke grimaced. "Just when I was starting to really have some fun…"   
  
Kenshin turned as he felt Kaoru tug at his sleeve. "Kenshin, you'd better go before the police arrest you for carrying that sword."   
  
Kenshin nodded briefly. It was illegal to carry swords nowadays, even a sakabatou. He'd had more than his fair share of brush-ins with the police for that. He spared a glance at the foreign girl who was kneeling beside her friend. The young man had finally regained consciousness. He was sat up and groaned, shaking his head. The girl soothed him, saying a few words in a language Kenshin recognized as English. He understood a little of it from his days as a Choshu Ishinshishi.   
  
"Don't worry, Kenshin," said Kaoru. "We'll take care of them."   
  
He smiled sweetly at his wife. "See you back home, then." He turned to go.   
  
"Hey, swordsman, wait!" The foreign girl ran up to him. He noted with surprise that she was very young, her face delicate and elfin, with large blue-gray eyes. She might have been only a little older than Yahiko, except that she wielded that sword with the skill of the finest Japanese samurai.   
Then again, Kenshin was barely fourteen when he began his bloody career as a hitokiri.   
  
"I want to thank you-"began the girl. She stopped and stared at him, her eyes growing wide with…recognition?   
  
"Holy crow-Kenny?! Kenny, is that you?!!" the girl blurted out.   
  
"Oro?!" It was the only thing Kenshin could manage to say. He was sure he'd never seen her before and he would certainly not forget a gai-jin girl who knew kenjutsu so well.   
  
"Ken-nii?" said Kaoru in puzzlement. "Only Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan call you 'big brother'…"   
  
"Not big brother," said the foreign girl, staring at him so intently that it was beginning to make him uncomfortable. "Well, he was like that to us…"   
  
The girl's friend came up to them then. He was rather tall, with chin-length reddish-brown hair and bright sky-blue eyes. Like his friend, he also looked very young, his face boyish and open. With surprise, Kenshin saw that he'd somehow managed to survive the attack relatively unscathed.   
  
The young man looked at Kenshin closely for a few moments. Then, his eyes lit up with wonder and amusement.   
  
"Kenny? Man, it's been ages since we last saw you!" he said in delight.   
  
"But I've never seen you before in my life!" Kenshin protested.   
  
The girl and her companion exchanged quick, startled looks. But before they could say anything further, the police had reached them.   
  
"Mr. Ambassador," said the police inspector. "Are you all right?"   
  
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to this man and his friends," said the young man. The boyish demeanor had changed into that of authority. "They saved my life."   
The looks of sheer astonishment on the faces of Kenshin and his friends sparked an amused light in the young ambassador's eyes but his face maintained that look of sober dignity. He bowed formally to Kenshin.   
  
"Domo arigato, samurai-san." The ambassador straightened and continued, "I am Stephen Huntington, England's ambassador to Japan." He gestured at the young girl. "And this is my good friend, J. Isabel Draven, Countess Rosscraft."   
  
-end chapter 1- 


	3. Chapter 2: Doppelganger from the Past

Shadow In The Sun  
By: the Kat  
  
(STANDARD FANFIC DISCLAIMERS APPLY)  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
"The least we could do," said J. Isabel Draven, her eyes crinkling up with merriment, "is invite you people for lunch."  
  
Kenshin and his family had all been invited to the English ambassador's mansion. The rather rich and luxurious surroundings were a little overwhelming when they first came inside. Sanosuke fought to keep his jaw from dropping open at the furnishings and decorations. Yahiko fared little better. Kaoru kept her composure slightly better than the rest of them but she noted enviously that Kenshin was the calmest of them all. He looked just at home here as he was in their simple dojo.   
  
But the little countess and the ambassador made them all comfortable immediately. They had skillfully overridden Kenshin and Kaoru's embarrassed protests and before they knew what was happening, they were already sitting down inside the ambassador's lavish dining room. And none of them had to wonder about how to go about eating gai-jin food. The menu was comprised entirely of Japanese dishes, the ambassador being fond of Japanese cuisine.  
  
For all their wealth and noble titles-the two of them were also surprisingly down-to-earth. The countess insisted they call her Jay, since Isabel was difficult to pronounce by Japanese tongues. And the ambassador was equally informal, letting them call him by his nickname "Iggy".   
  
"It's from his middle name," Jay had explained. "English nobility have pretty long names. His full name is Stephen Ignatius Gabriel Huntington. Stephen is too serious for him and so's Gabriel. So all his friends call him Iggy."  
  
They had all laughed at the funny-sounding nickname and Kaoru began to apologize but the ambassador stopped her.  
  
"It's all right," he said, laughing. "I only stand on ceremony during official functions. And this is certainly not one of those, ne? Just a little friendly gathering."  
  
All throughout lunch, the two foreigners were cheerful and friendly, putting their Japanese guests at their ease. Soon enough, they were all laughing and joking as if they were friends for the longest time. Iggy and Jay had also somehow managed to find out the gist of all of their life stories, while giving theirs in return.   
  
Jay and Iggy were actually childhood friends. Jay was actually quite a little older than everyone thought she was. She was in the unusual position of being answerable to no one but herself. She no longer had any parents and was already past the age where she needed any sort of guardianship. She traveled all over the world, often all by herself. To avoid any unwelcome attentions, she usually donned men's clothing and armed herself with a pistol, or her katana or both. She decided to come to Japan again, just to visit her friend Iggy. Privately, each of the Kenshin-gumi suspected there was already more than just friendship between them.   
  
According to Iggy, his exact title was Earl of Ravensloft, whatever that was. Like Jay, he too was already orphaned. He too was adventurous and was especially fascinated with Japanese culture and history. Iggy was also well-liked and respected by many high-ranking ministers of the Meiji government. Which was why it was no surprise when he had been chosen to take the place of the old English ambassador.   
  
The really funny thing is, thought Kaoru silently as they talked. Kenshin also saved the old ambassador's life. She remembered when Kenshin had tried to stop Shigure, an embittered veteran of the Bakumatsu no Douran, from assassinating the old English ambassador. Shigure had led a small army composed of veterans like himself and the relatives of those who died during the Bakumatsu to attack the ambassador during a parade.  
  
And now, Kenshin had again rescued an English ambassador. Déjà vu. Kaoru found herself wondering what strange twist Fate was going to bring them next. Baka! She scolded herself mentally. Don't go borrowing trouble, Kaoru. She felt the faintest twinge in her stomach, as if the baby had moved, but no-it was too early for her to feel anything yet. A funny thought struck her. Maybe the kid was agreeing with her too. She smiled inwardly.   
  
"Kaoru-chan?" Kenshin was staring at her curiously.  
  
Kaoru flushed a little and shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine, Kenshin."  
  
After lunch, Jay led them all into the library. She made them all sit and be comfortable, quickly putting away some of the books that had been left on the chairs and tables.   
  
"Iggy and I have something to show you, Ken-san," said Jay. She nodded at Iggy, who reached into his desk drawer and drew out something rectangular. He walked over and gave it to Jay, who in turn, sat down beside Kenshin and Kaoru and showed it to them.  
  
It was a portrait of Kenshin. It was perfect in every last detail, right down to the red hair and the violet eyes. The differences were that there were no cross scars on his cheek and that he was wearing strange-looking robes in shades of purple and blue. The Kenshin in the portrait had looked very young, perhaps the age they had thought Jay-dono was at first. And the joyous, happy expression in his face, so faithfully captured by the artist, made him look even younger.  
  
As Kaoru looked at the portrait, she thought that this was what Kenshin might have been, had he never become hitokiri, if he didn't carry so many shadows. Here's your twist of fate, Kaoru, she thought wryly.   
  
"Heck, Kenshin, who is this, your missing twin?" Sanosuke blurted out.  
  
"Yeah, he looks exactly like you, 'cept he doesn't have any scars," said Yahiko.  
  
"Yahiko!" chided Kaoru.  
  
"But how--?" began Kenshin, taking his eyes off the portrait with an effort. Somehow, looking at the portrait was almost painful...as if he was seeing something that he had lost. But that was silly...this man wasn't him.  
  
Was it?  
  
"This was...Kenshin," said Jay softly. "Means Heart of the Sword, right?"  
  
"Hai," Kenshin agreed, memories of his teacher Hiko dancing through his mind. It had been Hiko who had given him that name.  
  
Jay smiled, obviously lost in a very fond memory. "We thought it suited him. He was a master swordsman...he taught me everything I know about swordplay. Very much like you, Ken-san."  
  
"He was like an elder brother to us and he taught me everything I know about your country," said Iggy. "He loved this land very much. But we lost touch with him a long time ago."  
  
"We've searched everywhere but we hadn't any luck finding even a trace of him," Jay continued. "Unfortunately, Kenshin is pretty good at disappearing acts."   
  
"In fact," said Iggy. "We were beginning to think that he'd already died." He sighed. "When we saw you-"  
  
"Well, we really thought we'd found him," Jay put in. "I mean, how many red-haired, violet-eyed swordsmen are there in Japan?"  
  
"And with the same name too," said Kaoru wonderingly.   
  
Kenshin shook his head. "It can't be me. And-" He paused for a moment, reflecting. "And I don't have an identical twin. My family died in an epidemic. I was the only one who survived."  
  
"The Kenshin we know would be actually be quite older than you," said Jay. "Though, like you, he would look much younger than his age."   
  
"Your father, maybe?" asked Sanosuke.  
  
"No," Kenshin shook his head again. "I came from a peasant family. My father was a farmer, not a swordsman."   
  
And he wasn't a redhead either. Otousan and Okaasan always thought that my coloring was peculiar, a sign from the gods perhaps. But Kenshin didn't say that thought aloud.   
  
He saw Iggy and Jay exchange looks, some sort of silent communication obviously passing between them though he didn't know what it was. Then, Jay smiled brightly.  
  
"Well, it is a strange coincidence, isn't it?" She handed the portrait back to Iggy. "You are so very much like him, Ken-san." Jay's smile turned wistful. "Maybe, you have his spirit."  
  
"Do you believe in rebirth, Jay-san?" asked Kaoru.  
  
Again, Jay and Iggy exchanged peculiar looks before Jay answered, "Oh, yes, Kaoru-san. I believe in rebirth. In fact, Iggy and I both do."  
  
***  
  
The demon was not alone.  
  
The vision had come to him again and it was even more frightening than before. In fear, Father Rosetti bolted from his simple cot, fleeing into the chapel. He fell on his knees before the statue of the Blessed Virgin, seeking solace and comfort from his Heavenly Mother. In his hands, he clutched his rosary, nervously fingering the wooden beads. His lips moved silently, forming the words of the prayers, a shield against the darkness that he had seen.   
  
The vision would not let him go. In his mind's eye, he saw the exquisite features of the Siren and her consort, the Dark Mage. Witch-child and Ancient Warlock, servants of the Devil, practicioners of the black arts of magic and sorcery. They were subtle and incredibly cunning. Many times, they had stopped the soldiers of Holy Mother Church from destroying Her enemies. How many times had they helped their fellow witches escape from the sacred Inquisition? How many heretics did they save from the cleansing fires of the stake? How many vampires and creatures of the night did they aid?  
  
Father Rosetti was only one in a long line of priests who knew their names and believed that their legend was real. They had haunted his nightmares when he had first read of them in the secret histories kept by the old Inquisition. But then, he had the consolation of knowing that these were merely phantoms created by his overtaxed mind.   
  
But now, they were truly here. The priest knew the differences between the true vision and simple nightmare. The Siren and the Mage were here in Japan, with the demon prince. In this godless land, with its pagan people and pagan gods, they would hold full sway. Few Japanese were protected by the True Faith, the government long having been opposed to the Christian religion.   
  
And two more men had been found killed by the demon. Again, Father Rosetti had presided over the funerals and performed the rites to insure their eternal peace. The men who had been killed were all foreigners, their deaths dismissed as the work of murderous Japanese who still detested the invading gai-jin. But the priest knew better.   
  
Time was beginning to run out on them. And now, the demon had allies to help him. The priest could only comfort himself with the knowledge that the warriors he had called for would be arriving in a few days' time.  
  
Oh, Blessed Mother, Holy Virgin, let them come soon!  
  
-end chapter-  
  
-end chapter- 


	4. Chapter 3: Inspector Mibu's Wolf on the ...

Shadow In The Sun  
by: the Kat  
  
(STANDARD FANFIC DISCLAIMERS APPLY)  
  
CHAPTER 3   
  
He was having another one of his nightmares again.  
  
Kaoru woke up when she heard her husband cry out in his sleep. Worried, she'd   
turned to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking him lightly.   
  
"Kenshin?"  
  
Usually, the least touch brought Kenshin awake. He was a light sleeper, the result of years having had to sleep with one eye figuratively open.   
  
This time, Kenshin didn't wake up. Kaoru watched helplessly as he tossed and turned his head on the pillow, murmuring unintelligibly all the while. She hated seeing him like this, in the grip of the nightmares of his past. She remembered how, in those first few months of marriage, he would wake up from one of those nightmares. She would hold him them, as fierce and as protective as Kenshin had ever been when Kaoru was in danger, soothing his fears, chasing away his shadows.   
  
Soon enough, Kenshin soon began sleeping peacefully through the night, the   
nightmares gone, banished by Kaoru's presence and the warmth of her love. She'd thought, foolishly perhaps, that it was over, that Kenshin could begin to leave the past behind and go on.  
  
Now, it was starting all over again.   
  
Suddenly, Kenshin cried out in a language Kaoru didn't even recognize. His eyes flew open and she was startled to see that they were the golden eyes of the Hitokiri Battousai.  
  
"Kenshin...?" she whispered.  
  
The golden eyes focused on her and she shivered at the expression she saw   
  
reflected there. Kaoru had faced the Battousai before, had seen the dark shadow of Kenshin's soul many times. For all his ferocity, Kaoru knew that he came back now only to protect her and the rest of their odd little family. That golden gaze promised death to anyone who tried to hurt her. But to Kaoru, those eyes had only looked on her with love.  
  
Now, those eyes were staring at her with a dark, unholy hunger, touched by a wild, feral light.  
  
This is not Battousai, Kaoru thought. This is not my Kenshin...is it?  
  
No. A fierce, defiant sort of courage filled her. This was Kenshin, her husband, her mate. She would protect him as much as he protected her.  
  
Slowly, gently Kaoru placed a hand on his scarred cheek, her thumb tenderly   
caressing the scars.  
  
Kenshin...come back to me, please, come back...  
  
He shivered in response to her touch and closed his eyes. When they opened, Kaoru saw with relief that they were back to their normal, violet color.  
  
"Kaoru...?" Kenshin whispered. He reached up to pull her close, bury his face in her hair. Kaoru snuggled back, letting him reassure himself by touch and caress. She murmured reassurances into his ear, telling him that everything was fine, that it was only a dream.  
  
"Not just a dream," he murmured back. "Not just a nightmare. Different."  
  
She pulled away a little to look at his face. The violet eyes were troubled...and   
afraid?   
  
"Tell me," she said quietly. Yes, he was right. This time, it was different. It wasn't just another dark memory of his days as a hitokiri. The one she saw just then...he was someone else, neither Kenshin nor the Battousai.   
  
"It never happened. Never," he said, shaking his head and pulling her close again. Kaoru let it go this time, just wrapped her arms around her husband, cherishing him.  
  
"Aishiteru, Kenshin," she murmured. I love you. Let it be enough. Enough to keep all your demons away.   
  
Kenshin whispered the words back to her and closed his eyes, trying to forget the images of himself killing for the sheer pleasure of it, reveling in the death of his prey, relishing the terror in the young man's eyes and the hunger for his blood...  
  
***  
  
This was an unexpected pleasure.  
  
She had not expected to find her predecessor here, in this particular time and in this particular place. Then again, perhaps she should not be so surprised. The man had such a blind, mindless devotion to this so-called Land of the Rising Sun that he just couldn't conceive of going anywhere else.   
  
And he had such a talent for repeating his old habits and patterns. The fiercest of killers at first, and then suddenly, a weak, guilt-ridden fool for the rest of his life. An endless cycle of bloodshed, guilt and grief, so deliciously self-destructive.  
  
Ah, but so wonderfully appealing. There was a certain...magnetism to his personality. A certain charm that drew people to him, as cunningly as any vampire's mesmeric spell. It was a natural gift, that had only been enhanced when-  
  
She smiled as a clear image of what he had been came to mind. Oh yes-he was   
magnificent in all his ferocity and bloody tragedy. She regretted losing him then, but it couldn't be helped, of course.  
  
But now, in this time, in this place, she had an amazing opportunity. To bind him to her the way he had bound her before. But this time, she would do better than he did. She would be a better Master than he had ever been, create him in her own image...and keep him by her for all eternity.  
  
She had already begun to cast her coils about him, to sound the ancient memories   
buried in his soul. He imagined himself in love right now but that wasn't a problem. In fact, love made the blood all the sweeter.  
  
Rhiannon gently carressed the cheek of the young man she had chosen for the night. She had chosen him for his youth and his beautiful, strapping, healthy young body. She smiled, knowing that he was seeing and feeling it with her. That he was one with her. Oh yes, blood ties were not easily broken...even beyond death.  
  
The vampire bared her fangs, her eyes gleaming golden in the moonlight, and tore   
into her prey's throat.  
  
***  
  
Saitoh Hajime, alias Inspector Fujita Gorou of the Tokyo police, took a long, much-needed drag on his cigarette as he surveyed the crime scene. This had "disaster" written all over it. Three men, all foreigners, had been found in the foreign quarter with their throats slashed and all their blood drained away. And now, a Japanese had been found killed in exactly the same way, his mangled body left on the riverbank.   
  
On top of that, the police were trying to track down the morons who had attacked   
the English ambassador. Saitoh did not need THIS on top of everything else.  
  
Damn it.  
  
Toshiro, one of the new rookiees, turned an ashen white when he saw the body. He turned away and started to retch.  
  
"Get a grip, ahou," Saitoh growled. A crowd was already gathering around the dead man. Saitoh looked at the other two rookiees with him. "Get everyone away from here."  
  
"It was a gaki that did it," volunteered an old man. Saitoh recognized him as Juro, a homeless old fool who wasn't quite all there in the brains department. "I saw him suck the blood right out of that poor bastard."  
  
His words had an electrifying effect on the crowd. Everyone else started   
whispering fearfully among themselves. Gaki were demons who could feed on the flesh, blood and even souls of humans. Many a Japanese child had been scared silly by mothers and grandmothers using stories of gaki to keep them in line.   
  
Give me strength. "You've been listening to too many ghost stories, Juro," said   
Saitoh coolly. He glared at the crowd. "Now, everyone out of here before I arrest you for interfering in police business."  
  
The threat was empty but no one in their right mind wanted to challenge the cold   
stare of Mibu's Wolf. Intimidated and cowed, the onlookers obediently began to disperse. All except for Juro, of course. Then again, he was nuts after all.  
  
"I saw him, Fujita-san," said the old man stubbornly. "He's a gaki, I tell you. Red hair, golden eyes. Scary as hell."  
  
That brought Saitoh up short. Red hair, golden eyes. Himura Kenshin? The   
Battousai?  
  
"What did you say?" demanded Saitoh, amber eyes boring into the old man's.  
  
"Yes!" said Juro insitently. "Feh! No one listens to me! I saw him, I tell you. He ripped the man's throat out."  
  
"With a sword?"  
  
"What sword are you talking about?" said the old man. "With his fangs! He tore the poor fucking bastard's throat out with his fangs!" He shuddered. "They was sharper than a katana, let me tell you. I can't forget that."  
  
"This man," said Saitoh carefully. "Did he have a cross-shaped scar on his left   
cheek?"  
  
Juro shrugged. "I don't know. I couldn't see his face, Fujita-san. He was a small man. His hair was as red as blood. I could see his golden eyes-they glowed in the dark. Hey--!" He began to struggle as the two rookiees grabbed him by the arms.   
  
"Toshiro," Saitoh called the young policeman, who'd finally stopped vomiting. His face was still pale but he was steady on his feet. "Get this body out of here and bring Juro to the station. He's going to be our guest for a while."  
  
"I haven't done anything wrong!" protested the old man.  
  
"I didn't say we were arresting you, Juro," said Saitoh. He nodded curtly at Toshiro. "Treat him well and don't let him out of your sight."  
  
"Yes, sir." Toshiro saluted crisply.   
  
Saitoh walked away, lost in thought. Juro was a loon but Saitoh had a feeling the old man was telling the truth for once. At least, the truth as he saw it. It wasn't much of a lead but it was a beginning, at least. And Saitoh had seen the crowd react to the crazy fool's gaki story. Again, another disaster in the making. With Battousai's amazing knack for getting himself into trouble-never mind that he was trying to lead a peaceful life-Saitoh knew that this thing could easily spin out of control. He wasn't being paranoid. It was just   
that worst-case scenarios usually seemed to come true for Battousai.  
  
Saitoh remembered the day when he'd challenged the vagabond calling himself   
Himura Kenshin at the Kamiya dojo. He had wanted to see whether there was any trace of his old enemy, the infamous Hitokiri Battousai, left in the rurouni sworn not to kill.  
  
The Battousai was still there. Oh, Himura claimed to have buried him and all that crap. But Saitoh was aware that he still lurked beneath Himura's friendly, good-natured façade. He'd seen the little rurouni's gentle violet eyes turn to that all too-familiar feral golden color whenever pushed to his limits. He'd seen them change during that aborted battle in the Kamiya dojo, when Saitoh had casually threatened the lives of Kamiya Kaoru and Himura's other friends. Had Saitoh been a lesser swordsman, he would probably be dead by now, Himura's vows of non-killing be damnned.  
  
But was the Battousai capable of doing this? How many men in Tokyo could answer   
to the same description? A foreigner, perhaps, with a taste for blood?   
  
Too soon, too early to tell. All I have is the word of a crazy old fool. Saitoh flicked the stub of his cigarette away.   
  
Think, ahou. Do you seriously believe that the Battousai could be running around Tokyo ripping people's throats out for the sheer pleasure of it?  
  
The former Shinsengumi captain surprised himself with the answer.   
  
No.   
  
***  
  
Nightfall. People had come to take away the dead man and prepare him for burial. They had cleared away what little blood had splashed on the ground and the bits of torn flesh. The river washed away the rest.  
  
A slender figure crept out of the shadows to stand in the precise spot where the   
murdered Japanese had been found. A black, wide-brimmed hat and the turned-up collar of a long dark coat served to obscure the figure's face.   
  
There was the barest whisper of sound that might have passed for a soft little   
melody. The wind suddenly picked up, blowing at the figure's coat. A slender hand clutched at the hat to keep it from blowing away.   
  
The figure looked up and the face was briefly illuminated by moonlight. It was J. Isabel Draven. Her face was pale and her eyes were the color of frost.  
  
She spoke one word. "Vampire."  
  
-end chapter- 


	5. Chapter 4: Running down the Usual Suspec...

Shadow in the Sun  
By: the Kat  
  
(STANDARD FANFIC DISCLAIMERS APPLY)  
  
CHAPTER 4  
  
Business at the Akabeko was unusually slow today. There weren't a lot of customers around, which was odd, considering it was lunchtime. At least it gave Kaoru a chance to chat with Tae, the restaurant's owner and a good friend at that. And, Kaoru thought, hiding a smirk, it also gave Yahiko an excuse to hang around with Tsubame-chan. The shy little waitress absolutely glowed whenever Yahiko was around.   
  
Puppy love-isn't it sweet? Kaoru thought. She caught Sanosuke's eye and saw him grin slyly, obviously thinking the same thing. She turned her head to talk to her husband but found that Kenshin had fallen asleep. Kenshin was still sitting straight up, his head bowed and his hands still curled around his cup of tea. His hair hid most of his face but Kaoru could tell he had nodded off by the way he breathed. It was a miracle he didn't fall over and Kaoru briefly debated whether she should wake him up.  
  
Never mind. Kenshin was still having trouble sleeping because of his nightmares, which were growing more frequent. She'd tried to talk about it but he still refused to say anything. Kenshin had always been so reluctant to talk about his past, so determined to bury all the violence of his hitokiri nature. In the time they had been married, he'd finally brought down so many of his walls, opening up to Kaoru more and more. But now, it seemed to her that he was closing himself off again.   
  
Kenshin no baka, she thought wearily. You're not a rurouni anymore. You don't have to bear all this alone.   
  
"I don't believe it!" Sanosuke spluttered, spraying sake everywhere. "That's just a bunch of spook stories cooked up by a bunch of obaasans to make kids behave!"  
  
"Geez, rooster boy," said Yahiko, brushing off his gi in disgust. "Thanks for the sake bath."  
  
"What was the Rooster boy clucking about?" asked Kaoru.  
  
"Oi! Look who's talking, tanuki girl-" began Sanosuke.  
  
Kaoru shoved a bowl of leftover miso soup in his face to squelch him and turned to Tae. "Gomen ne, Tae. I didn't catch what you were saying-"  
  
"I was telling them about the latest murders in Tokyo," said Tae. She lowered her voice. "Everyone's starting to say that all those people were killed by a blood-thirsty gaki."  
  
Kaoru felt her blood run cold. Gakis had formed a large part of her childhood nightmares. When she had been a little girl, she and her friends had scared themselves silly telling each other tales about gaki. Of course, they were all just stories.  
  
Right?  
  
Sanosuke wiped the miso off his face and said, "A sick loon like Shishio could go around ripping people's throats out. That guy was a monster but he's definitely human."  
  
"Maybe," said Tae. "But Shishio's dead! Unless...he's come back from the grave..."  
  
Everyone had an image of a monstrous-looking Shishio Makoto, one of the last great hitokiri from the Bakumatsu no Douran, rising from his grave with torn bandages hanging from his burnt and rotting flesh. They all shuddered.  
  
"Eeewww," said Kaoru, turning green. "I think I'm going to be sick."  
  
"Reality check, guys," said Yahiko. "Shishio's burned to a crisp and there ain't no such things as gaki. They can't be responsible for all those murders. That's crazy."  
  
"Actually," came a familiar, sardonic voice. "I'm beginning to suspect that it's not as crazy as you think."  
  
"AAAAAARGH!!!"  
  
Everyone screamed and turned to find Saitoh Hajime smoking his cigarette and wearing his trademark smirk.  
  
"Saitoh!" fumed Kaoru. "Don't DO that!"  
  
"Oro?" Kenshin lifted his head, blinking wide violet eyes. "What's going on?"  
  
"Glad to see you're finally awake, Battousai," said Saitoh, sitting down next to him. "We were discussing the possibility that Shishio Makoto and a bunch of gaki are the ones behind the recent murders around here."  
  
"Oro?"  
  
"Aaargh! Kenshin, is that all you can say?" exploded Sanosuke.  
  
Saitoh smirked again. "For once, the rooster head and I are in complete agreement."  
  
Yahiko shuddered. "The rooster and the wolf agreeing. Now THAT'S scary."  
  
"No kidding," muttered Kaoru.  
  
"Wait a minute," said Kenshin. "What on earth are you talking about? And what's with Shishio? He's dead already!"  
  
"The murders, Battousai," said Saitoh patiently. "Three foreigners. One Japanese as of last night. All found with their throats torn out. As if they've been got at by wild dogs."  
  
"Or wolves," muttered Sanosuke.   
  
"So what's the police been doing?" said Kaoru pointedly.   
  
"Ah," Saitoh leaned back and took a long drag on his cigarette. "We got a witness on the last murder. An old man who claims that it was a gaki that did it."  
  
"Oh my," said Tae.  
  
"Funny thing though," said Saitoh, giving Kenshin a cool look. "He says that the 'gaki' was a short man with long red hair and golden eyes. Sound like anyone you know?"  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed. "And just what are you trying to say, Saitoh?"  
  
"I don't know, Battousai," said Saitoh with deceptive casualness. "Where were you last night?"  
  
"HEY!" Kaoru shot to her feet, looming over Saitoh with holy fury in her eyes. "My husband was home all night! If you think that he's somehow-"  
  
"Settle down, tanuki girl," Saitoh waved her away. "I'm not going to arrest him. At least, not yet."  
  
"Why you-"  
  
"Jou-chan," said Sanosuke, cracking his knuckles, "I'll bash his face in for you-just say the word."  
  
"Count me in too," said Yahiko fiercely, his hand already on his shinai.  
  
"And me," said Tae heatedly. Saitoh gave her his patented evil look and the Akabeko proprietress sweatdropped as she realized what she just said. To her credit, she didn't back down.  
  
As for Tsubame, the little waitress did hide beneath her tray but was nodding vehemently in agreement.   
  
"My, my," said Saitoh drily to Kenshin. "You've got so many defenders here, Battousai."   
  
"Saitoh," said Kenshin evenly. "I'm not the man you're looking for."  
  
"No, you're not," said Saitoh just as evenly. "Even I know that the Battousai is not a raving killer. But think, how many redheads with golden eyes are walking around in Japan?"  
  
There was a brief silence.  
  
"Exactly," said Saitoh with satisfaction. "The old man who witnessed the last murder has a history of mental problems. You're safe for the moment. But as you can see, his story has caught on. Add your description and..." He trailed off meaningfully.  
  
"This is crazy!" exploded Sanosuke. "Now somebody who looks a lot like Kenshin is running around Tokyo killing people like a gaki?"  
  
Inwardly, Kenshin winced. The image was just a little TOO close to his latest round of nightmares. The Hitokiri Battousai as a killer crazed with bloodlust, reveling in all the death and suffering that he had brought about with his sword...  
  
No, that's not me. I never enjoyed the killing. I did what I thought I had to do. It was necessary...  
  
Of course it was necessary, said a little voice in the back of his mind. Once you've tasted the blood of your prey, there's no turning back. You have to keep on killing to feed the Hunger...  
  
What Hunger? Kenshin screamed silently back. What the hell's going on here? This is insane!  
  
"Why are you warning us anyway?" burst out Yahiko, startling Kenshin out of his reverie. "You've always wanted to cause trouble for Kenshin! Isn't something like this what you're waiting for?"   
  
Saitoh flicked off the ash hanging from his cigarette. "I'm not going to lose the Battousai to a bloody lynch mob, ahou." He gave Kenshin a wolfish, unpleasant smile. "I'd rather send him to hell all by myself."  
  
"You're welcome to try," murmured Kenshin, returning his old enemy's challenge.   
  
"Oh no, you don't, Saitoh Hajime," said Kaoru ominously. "You're not going to fight Kenshin again. Get it through your head-the Bakumatsu no Douran is OVER."  
  
"Don't worry, tanuki girl," said Saitoh, getting up. "I've no intention of making you a widow-yet." With that, he sauntered out of the Akabeko, leaving behind a trail of cigarette smoke and a lot of angry faces.   
  
"Ooooh!" Kaoru seethed. "That insufferable-"  
  
"Son of a bitch," supplied Sanosuke helpfully.   
  
"Yeah!" said Yahiko emphatically.   
  
"And to think anyone would actually believe Kenshin-san's some kind of gaki..." huffed Tae.  
  
Tsubame finally spoke up. "Kenshin-san doesn't even look like a gaki."  
  
Everyone sweatdropped.   
  
But Kenshin smiled at the little waitress. "Thanks, Tsubame-dono."  
  
"Boy," said Yahiko. "You sure have way too many lookalikes running around in Tokyo, Kenshin."  
  
"Oh, that's right," said Kaoru, remembering. "What about Jay and Iggy's Kenshin?"  
  
"Yeah!" said Sanosuke. He frowned. "You don't suppose that could possibly have anything to do with what's going on?"  
  
"Baka!" yelled Yahiko. "Jay and Iggy didn't say their long-lost friend could be a psycho killer! And they think he's probably dead already!"  
  
"Watch who you're calling stupid, Yahiko-chan!" growled Sanosuke. "And they're not even sure if he IS dead!"   
  
"GRRRRR! DON'T CALL ME 'CHAN'!!" Yahiko, as usual, attached himself to Sano like a leech, biting and scratching at his head.  
  
"GET OFF ME, DAMMNIT!!"  
  
"Yahiko-kun," began Tsubame worriedly. "You might hurt yourself..." She turned to Kaoru. "Kaoru-san, can you--?"  
  
"Don't worry, Tsubame-chan," said Kaoru, smiling. "Those two just love doing that all the time."  
  
"Hai..."  
  
"Ano..." Tae sweat-dropped. "Can someone please tell me what's going on? Who are Jay and Iggy? And what's this about their 'Kenshin'?"  
  
As Kaoru began to explain and Sanosuke tried to peel Yahiko off his hair, Kenshin sat back, sipped his tea and quietly began to sort out his thoughts. A mad killer was running loose in Tokyo...someone who possibly looked like him. Jay-dono and Iggy-dono had a friend who could also pass for Kenshin's twin brother. And Kenshin had been having those strange terrible dreams where he enjoyed killing all those people during the Bakumatsu no Douran. Where he'd actually tasted, no, savored all that blood and pain. Especially the blood. Just like a...gaki. Kenshin shuddered inwardly, feeling nauseous at the very thought.   
  
Everything fit together somehow...and Kenshin didn't like the way things were heading. Especially after Saitoh's veiled little warnings...  
  
Kenshin closed his eyes and and somewhere in his mind, a hitokiri sat in a certain room, telling him to beware.  
  
Something is making us dream these dreams... Danger is coming...watch out for it, Kenshin...I am afraid...  
  
***  
  
They all looked like children.   
  
Unlike the others, who chose to look old and venerable, they decided that they would look like children, just on the verge of adolescence or at the most, teenagers. The Elders had been feared for their power. They were kept at a distance by the incredible majesty of their age, the centuries that they had seen pass by, the vast experience brought about by several lifetimes.   
  
But the younger generation decided otherwise. They were all beginning to lose touch with the people they were supposed to guide, protect and defend. The days were coming when they would be persecuted, hunted down as unnatural beings to be burnt at the stake or drowned in the river. So, they chose youth-hiding their power, blending in more easily with mortals, instead of being mysterious hermits hiding in the mountains and forests.  
  
After all, who would seek a sorcerer in the guise of a child?   
  
Iggy stared at his reflection in the windowpane, remembering. He traced on the glass the letters spelling his formal name. Stephen. Stefan. The name of the sorcerer he was and always would be. He no longer had the face of a child in this particular place and time. It was no longer necessary and having seemingly eternal youth would be dangerous in this lifetime. But he would always look youthful, always look younger than he actually was.   
  
It had of course, been a bit of an disadvantage in this life. But he had soon learned the advantages of being continually underestimated, of being overlooked because of his seeming youth and inexperience. And he knew how to comport himself with the lordly dignity his station commanded, knew every nuance and every slight gesture to win the respect of his peers.   
  
But here, he could take the masks down, rid himself of all the formalities and the dignified airs. He let himself go, extending the tendrils of power, letting the memories come...  
  
-flashback-  
  
Stephen sat against a tree as he watched his friends spar with their swords, the bright blades glinting in the sunlight. The swords clashed, tangled and broke away again as the swordsmen leaped apart. One red-haired boy and one dark-haired girl stood staring at each other for a few moments before they charged again, leaping high into the air. Once more, Stephen heard the clear ring of steel on steel, a sound that pulsed in time to their movements, becoming the song to a beautiful, yet deadly dance.   
  
The red-haired boy began to laugh even as he met every thrust and parry. "Trust Isabel to turn everything to music!"  
  
And he was right. The music was there, in every stroke and in every move, a wild pulsing beat that spoke of freedom and joy. Isabel's music. Isabel's magic. And it reflected Kenshin's laughter and his joy at living...   
  
-end flashback-  
  
"Stephen."  
  
Iggy turned at the sound of Jay's voice, a little startled at the use of his formal name. For a few moments, she actually looked older, her features mirroring the age of the older woman she was supposed to be. Then, she went back to being a young girl again.   
  
"What did you see, Isabel?" he asked quietly, also using her formal name.  
  
Jay was silent for a few seconds, nervously twisting the broad-brimmed black hat she held in her hands.   
  
She finally spoke. "A vampire is here in Japan."  
  
Iggy froze. "Are you sure it's one of ours? Not a local gaki?"  
  
"It's definitely a western vampire, Iggy," said Jay.  
  
"Thank God," said Iggy. He came away from the window, deciding to stand by the piano in the center of the room. "I wouldn't want to tangle with a gaki. They're nasty as hell."  
  
"Don't start cheering just yet, Iggy," said Jay gravely. She went over to the piano as well, her fingers lightly caressing the ivory keys. She bent her head as she did so, dark hair obscuring her face. "This one is old. Incredibly powerful. It's good enough to mask itself from me. I can't even tell whether it's male or female."  
  
"Oh Christ," said Iggy, as an obscene possibility came to mind. "Not a Revenant?"  
  
"Let's hope not," answered Jay, still not looking up. She shivered. "I've tried invoking Sight again. But it's still not working. The vision is blocked."  
  
"What about the dead men? Will they give us trouble?"   
  
"No. They've been taken care of." Jay looked up, her delicate little face twisted in a wry grimace. "The local priest is aware of what's going on. The trouble is, he's a raving fanatic. Like our pals during the Inquisition."  
  
"Wonderful. Just what we need." Iggy leaned against the piano, one hand thoughtfully cupping his chin. "You know, you're going to have to snoop around the local police station. I don't want the Tokyo police getting into something that's more than they could handle."  
  
"Do me a favor, Iggy," said Jay wryly. "Make my life easier and say it's official business. After all, we did just get attacked the other day."  
  
"And offend them by implying that we don't trust their judgement?" Iggy raised a brow.  
  
"Sweetie, you're a diplomat. Between the two of us, I'm sure we can figure out something that will smooth ruffled feathers."  
  
"Well, it's going to be their problem as well," said Iggy thoughtfully. "And one of their police inspectors show promise."  
  
"Am I hearing things?" Jay's blue-gray eyes went wide. "There's actually a policeman out there who might be able to handle vampires and won't think we're all nuts?"  
  
"Inspector Fujita Gorou, also known as Saitoh Hajime-the Mibu's Wolf," Iggy stated. "Formerly a captain of the Shinsengumi, one of the best swordsmen in the country. On a par with the Hitokiri Battousai." He grinned. "Actually, Saitoh and Battousai clashed during the Bakumatsu no Douran. "   
  
Jay winced. "Ouch. I won't ask who won, because if someone did, one of them should have been long dead by now."  
  
"Exactly. Saitoh's a bit...um, difficult to deal with."  
  
"Oh good grief," Jay groaned. "By that you mean he's a real bastard to work with."  
  
"I think you can handle him," said Iggy. He smiled slyly. "Saitoh is smart, cunning and if he ever became a vampire hunter, the entire race of the Undead is doomed. Trust me."  
  
"Right," said Jay dryly.  
  
"Aku. Zoku. Zan. That's his motto. Kill. Evil. Instantly. If you choose to tell him the entire truth or if he stumbles on it by himself, he's a good man to have on our side."  
  
"I believe you," said Jay, sitting down at the piano. "I'll take care of it." She began to tinker with a few notes, a nonsensical little bit of melody that made Iggy smile. But she stopped, losing the thread of the music.  
  
"Hey," protested Iggy. "Don't stop now."   
  
"Iggy-" Jay's voice sounded small and afraid. "What if it is a Revenant out there? What are we going to do?"  
  
"I'll handle it," Iggy said firmly.  
  
"No!" Jay said sharply. "Don't be chivalrous, Stephen. The responsibility belongs to both of us."  
  
"Isabel," Iggy countered, again using her formal name. "The responsibility belongs to both of us but only one carries the curse. I don't want that to happen to you."  
  
"And I don't want it happening to you either," retorted Jay.   
  
Iggy went to stand behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She sighed and leaned against him. He smiled, enjoying the contact and the affection she showed him in the simple gesture.   
  
"Anyway, Jay-girl," said Iggy cheerfully. "We still don't know for sure if it is a Revenant out there. Not all the vampires with power have to be Revenants."  
  
"You're right," said Jay. "And it's not like we're alone in this."  
  
"Kenshin?"  
  
"Mm-hm. It's him. He doesn't remember it anymore but he's definitely one of us."  
  
"He's been reborn, Jay-girl. You know how that plays around with the memory." Iggy sighed. "Still, let's not involve him in this unless it's absolutely necessary. He's got enough problems as it is being the former Hitokiri Battousai and all."  
  
"You really did your homework, I see."  
  
"He's a legend again, in this lifetime. A master assassin, a swordsman without peer. All that without his older memories awakened. Certain patterns keep on repeating after all."  
  
Jay sobered, thinking of Kaoru and the life she sensed growing within the young woman. "And he's got a wife and coming child to think of."  
  
"Yes," Iggy agreed. "He's trying to live in peace now, Jay. Let's leave him that way. He can do without this sort of knowledge from us."  
  
"I remember when he taught us swordplay," Jay said softly. "In the forest. And when I made the music...He was so happy, Iggy."  
  
"Yes," Iggy agreed, the scene in the forest clearing again replaying in his mind. Happy. That was how they always remembered Kenshin. The bright joyousness of his spirit, the kind and gentle heart that balanced the terrible destructive power that he wielded. The power that they all wielded.   
  
Jay was silent, remembering when Kenshin disappeared all those centuries ago. She had feared the worst and sorrowed for his loss, the elder brother she never had. There were many burdens placed on their kind, many perils that they alone could face. She understood Iggy's words. The man calling himself Himura Kenshin today did not need to know about sorcerers, vampires and past lives. At least, in this present lifetime.   
  
She sighed wistfully. "I still miss him, you know."  
  
"So do I, Jay-girl. So do I."   
  
Up next: Kenshin gets a NAAAAASTY shock. And--must bug Saitoh, must bug Saitoh, must bug Saitoh...(mwhahahahaha!)   
  
A/N:  
  
1. I'll ask y'all now to NOT hop on over to the website listed on my profile to check out the rest of Shadow in the Sun. Since I'm reworking the story, the changes will soon become very major as I go on. I don't own the website - not being one of those lucky individuals with HTML knowledge. It is owned by my very dear friend who very kindly put up the story for me and as soon as I'm done with the rewrite, I will ask her to update the site. Hopefully, she will also have enough free time to do it.   
2. Why do I hate Saitoh so much? Actually, I don't really HATE him, as in wish that Kenshin reversed his sakabatou and took the Wolf's head off before the start of the Kyoto arc. Saitoh's more like one of those guys you just LOVE to hate. Besides, if Saitoh's already dead, half the excitement in Ruroken's gone. Besides, the other bad boys of Ruroken aren't as fun as the Wolf is.   
  
To run down briefly: Shishio is dead (thank Kamisama) and he's a mummy to boot. I'll probably get a lot of dissenting voices on this point but I've always been disappointed by the final battle between him and Kenshin. The man had a WHOOOLE bunch of toughies to rough up Kenshin for him first. At least Saitoh messed with Kenshin's mind and brought out the Battousai in him, without resorting to too many tough goons to do his fighting first.   
  
Then, Enishi's a raving loon (the man should be locked up in the schizo ward and don't forget to throw away the key!). Aoshi's too gorgeous and angst-ridden to hate (reminds me of a certain white-haired bishounen dhampire from a certain Playstation video game-I'm a sucker for that type). Soujirou is too cute to hate (WHEN is he turning up again in Ruroken anyways?). Ah well...where are all the GREAT bad guys when you need them-like Darth Vader, oops, wrong show. I'll go back to bugging Saitoh now. Ja ne! --KAT 


	6. Chapter 5: When My World Divides and Sha...

**__**

Shadow In The Sun

by: the Kat

(STANDARD FANFIC DISCLAIMERS APPLY)

****

CHAPTER 5

__

He was slipping into the nightmare once more.

Oh, gods, not again!

__

Kenshin frantically tried to halt the grisly procession of images. The memories that had somehow become so twisted out of proportion that Kenshin was no longer so sure of them. Did he kill this man because he was a Shogunate spy? Or was it because it gave him an excuse to blood his blade? Did he kill this woman because she was a traitor? Or maybe because he wanted to see what it would feel like, sliding the sword into her soft body, feeling the slick warmth of her blood…

No! NO!!

__

The hitokiri he had been stood up after killing half a dozen Shinsengumi. Instead of flicking away the blood from his sword, he brought the blade up to his lips...and licked away the blood.

What the hell are you doing?

__

Kenshin looked down and saw himself holding the sword. A true katana, not a sakabatou, a real killing blade. He saw himself reflected in the steel blade, saw a glint of amber fire in his eyes.

Tasted the blood in his mouth and realized that it was so good…

What is happening to me?

__

The scene shifted and changed to a dark Tokyo street. A drunk was tottering on his way home, an empty sake flask dangling from one hand. He straightened up suddenly as he saw Kenshin appear from the shadows, golden eyes glittering. 

"Battousai," the drunk whispered, suddenly stone cold sober. 

Kenshin caught him easily, pinning him against the wall. He felt so empty, so thirsty…the feeling soon becoming a driving, relentless Hunger. He stared at the pulse beating frantically at the man's throat and understood what he needed to do. 

He bared his fangs and sank them into the man's throat.

Oh, gods, no…I can't be doing this!

__

"Kenshin?"

He froze at the sound of that beloved voice, dropping the drunk's body at his feet as if he'd been a rag doll. Kaoru was standing there, the blue eyes wide with horror.

"No…" he croaked. "No…Kaoru…koishii."

"Kenshin?" Kaoru took a step closer, one hand outstretched towards him.

"NO!" he cried out. Even sated, he could smell the sweet scent of her blood, calling to him, promising delight beyond measure. Her blood and the child she carried in her womb. "Don't…please…" He brought his bloodly hands up to cover his face. The Hunger flared to life once more, and this time it wanted her. 

"Get away from me!" he screamed. "Run, Kaoru!"

But suddenly, she was there, her hands gently prying away his own, her fingers caressing his blood-stained cheeks. 

"I am here," she whispered. "It's all right, koishii. It's all right."

Her love at that moment seemed to be tangible thing, a promise of light and hope. He held on to it, despite the beast that raged within him, despite the dark Hunger that screamed to be fed. He would not give in to it. He would not let himself be defeated by it. 

"Aishiteru," he choked out, the words surprisingly difficult to say. As if something tried to prevent him from saying it. He fought it, whatever it was. "Kaoru…aishiteru."

And then, he came awake.

***

Rhiannon crept back into the room, flushed from the recent kill. She smiled with satisfaction as she heard the snores of her orange-haired lover. He was brutish and had no finesse whatsoever. But he was in the rudest of health and his blood was all the sweeter for it. He was some sort of bandit chieftain with demented dreams of glory and an abiding hatred for foreigners. However, his hatred didn't seem to include foreign women. 

The vampire didn't want to kill him outright as she did the others. Yabu had the makings of a fine servant, an excellent attack dog, so to speak. Rhiannon was vulnerable alone, she knew. She needed to make her own brood soon, one that would be entirely loyal to her. Yabu would make an excellent first choice. And his men would soon follow. 

Of course, he would never be the man to stand by her side. Rhiannon smiled, thinking of what she had wrought this night. She had already found the man for that. Her beautiful former Master. 

And yet…his love for the other woman was so strong. It was to be expected, of course. He had ever been one to have deep feelings, the one who fought so hard to retain his humanity. No matter. Rhiannon enjoyed a challenge and his struggle made it all the sweeter.

Especially since she was only paying him back in kind. It was all part of the pattern, all part of the same path. 

"Kenshin," she murmured softly, savoring his name like she would one day savor his blood.

***

Yahiko took a long, dubious look at his miso soup after Kaoru handed him some. Long experience had taught him the warning signs. Kenshin was nowhere in sight. Neither was Sanosuke. Only Kaoru was there, her face beginning to show signs of her infamous temper as Yahiko still refused to eat his breakfast.

"Well?" said Kaoru impatiently. "Are you going to eat it or not?"

"Where's Kenshin?" Yahiko stalled, praying that he was wrong.

An odd look crossed Kaoru's face. "He's still sleeping. Kenshin DOES need a break once in a while. He's always the one doing the cooking around here."

"In other words," said Yahiko. "You're the one who cooked breakfast which means this stuff is toxic. Man oh man, you'd think after living with Kenshin for over two years, you'd at least learn how to even boil water—OW!!"

Kaoru put her shinai back under the table while Yahiko rubbed his sore head. "Serves you right," she said, smirking. "Of course, you can always go without breakfast…"

"Geez! Okay, okay! I'm eating!" Yahiko took a tentative sip of his miso. His eyes bugged out in surprise. It wasn't that great but neither was it toxic. An improvement, that. "Hey, it's actually eatable! You've actually learned something from Kenshin after all!"

"Of course it's eatable!" huffed Kaoru, picking up her shinai again. "And for that, Yahiko-_chan, _you're cleaning the dojo straight after breakfast."

"Whatever (I'm always cleaning the dojo). And don't call me chan, ugly!"

"Ugly! Why you—"

"Oi, Yahiko," said Sanosuke as he came into the room. "Don't bug Jou-chan so much. She's pregnant, remember?"

"Okay, Kaoru," said Yahiko grudgingly. "I take it back. You're not ugly (at least not today)."

"Well, geez, thanks," said Kaoru dryly. 

"Where's Kenshin, Jou-chan?" asked Sanosuke. 

"He's still asleep."

"Yeah," said Yahiko. "She made breakfast today. Would ya believe it's actually non-poisonous?"

"Yahiko—" growled Kaoru.

"Nani?" Sanosuke was surprised. "Kenshin shouldn't let you work in your condition."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "I'm only three months along, Sano and I'm not helpless. Besides, Kenshin needed the rest. He hasn't been sleeping well lately." 

Kaoru sipped at her miso, hiding her thoughts from the others. Last night was the worst one of all. She'd heard Kenshin cry out that he "could not be doing this". Could not be doing what? And when she'd tried to wake him up from the nightmare, to comfort him, he had turned away, screaming for her to run, to get away from him. As if he would actually hurt her! All she could do was hold him, letting her presence comfort him until he snapped out it.

And when Kenshin finally woke up, he still would not talk about it. She knew her husband, knew that he was trying to spare her the gory details of his past, to not make her worry. But that was why she was his _wife_, damn it! Kenshin wasn't alone, didn't need to bear his burdens all by himself. She wanted so much to make it easier for him, to shield him from every pain just as he did for her. And as for not making her worry, she was already worried sick. 

These nightmares were playing merry hell on his mind, taking away the peace and serenity that Kenshin had fought so hard to attain. And of course, there was Saitoh Hajime, with his infuriating insinuations at the Akabeko. As if Kenshin would turn into a gaki and start killing people! Kaoru wished, for the nth time, that she could take a shinai to the wolf's head. Kenshin seemed to have brushed off Saitoh's thinly veiled accusation but Kaoru knew her husband all too well. Saitoh's description of a red-haired, golden-eyed killer struck a nerve. And Kaoru had a sinking feeling that the wolf's talk about gaki played a large part in Kenshin's nightmare last night. 

She didn't know how long Kenshin could go on like this. This wasn't an enemy that he could defeat with a lightning-swift stroke of his sword…and how Kaoru wished, guiltily, that it could all boil down to that again!

They had to talk. And soon.

"Hey," said Sanosuke in surprise, as he sipped his miso. "Jo-chan, this really _is _eatable! It's a miracle!" His eyes widened at what he just said and prepared to bolt for dear life at the merest sight of Kaoru's bokutou.

"I think I'd better see if Kenshin's awake," said Kaoru absently, getting up and leaving the room. 

Sanosuke and Yahiko looked at each other.

"Oi, rooster head, she didn't even hit you," said Yahiko in wonder. 

"No kidding," said Sanosuke, scratching his head. "Something's wrong with Kenshin."

"Well, _duh._" 

"Maybe I oughta get Megumi to come here and check things out," said Sano thoughtfully. 

Yahiko looked pensive. "Somehow, Sano, I don't think this is something a doctor can fix." 

***

__

I must be going insane. Kenshin thought miserably as he walked beside Kaoru on their way to the market. Outwardly, he was as calm and composed as the river gently flowing beside them. Usually, he would be smiling too, putting on his cheerful and friendly little rurouni persona like a well-worn and comfortable gi. But he just couldn't find even the remotest thing to smile about right now and Kaoru always saw through his fake smiles. If he tried that now, she would know something was wrong with him in a minute and ask what was going on. 

And he didn't know how he was going to tell her. 

Hell, what was he supposed to say? That he'd been having weird nightmares about his past? No, not his real past. It was a twisted, distorted version of it. Where the Hitokiri Battousai enjoyed his grisly work. Where he really was the bloodthirsty demon portrayed in local legends. 

But the truth was, Battousai was simply an angry fifteen year old boy, who had been given the power to change the world if he chose. Not a demon. Not a monster. Just a simple child, who had been forced to watch too long as the people he cared about died right in front of his eyes. His parents, the three young women that he would always think of as his sisters, Tomoe and his failure to save her…

Now, his dreams were telling him otherwise. Making him begin to question the rightness of his memories, his feelings, his motives. Last night was the worst one of all. All his dreams before, the ones where he'd actually licked the blood from his sword, the ones where he wanted…_needed _to see the blood of his enemies splatter on the ground…they were just a grisly prelude to what was to come. This dream was not a distorted memory. It was something entirely different.

He had killed a man…by drinking his blood. And then, he had almost, _almost _turned on Kaoru as well. 

__

Damn Saitoh's stupid gaki story, Kenshin raged silently, angry at himself. He shouldn't be caught so off-balance by his overly active imagination, by a bunch of stupid dreams that were all lies…

But were they all lies?

The murders. Saitoh's suspcions. Jay-dono and Iggy-dono's friend Kenshin who happened to look so much like him. These were just too many coincidences for Kenshin's comfort. He didn't want to jump to conclusions. But something was telling him that there was a certain truth to be found out here. That while his dreams lied, they said something true as well…

__

For beyond death and rebirth, there are memories that refuse to be forgotten and paths that remain the same…

Kenshin froze. The voice in his mind belonged to neither the hitokiri nor the rurouni. But the voice was his, all the same. It was the same voice that he heard as he listened to Saitoh in the Akabeko. The very voice that had spoken to him about Hunger…

"Kenshin?" Kaoru's oddly quiet voice startled him out of his thoughts. "We need to talk."

Kenshin turned to look at his young wife and saw with dismay that her sky-colored eyes were bright with unshed tears. Kaoru was clearly upset, the one thing that Kenshin had tried so hard to prevent.

__

Baka! Kenshin thought ruefully. _She's seen me having all those nightmares. How can she not worry about me?_

Still, he had to give it one more try. He couldn't stand seeing her like that. He put on his most cheerful expression and said, "Don't worry, Kaoru-chan. I'm all right now."

Her eyes narrowed ominously. "You can't tell me not to worry when you're really not 'all right'." 

__

Uh-oh. Kenshin put up his hands placatingly. "Kaoru-chan—"

Suddenly, she was in his arms, burying her face in his shoulder, her muffled voice sounding suspiciously close to tears. "Kenshin no baka! When are you going to get it through your head that you're not alone any more?"

He rubbed his cheek against her glossy black hair, breathing in its sweet flowery scent. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

She pulled away to put a finger on his lips. "Don't be. Just tell me what's going on."

Kenshin didn't know but Kaoru had seen the barest hint of gold in his violet eyes. She smiled inwardly. Kenshin really _hated _seeing Kaoru worried. She'd seen the hitokiri peering out from her gentle husband's eyes more than once whenever she was upset. It comforted her to know that the part of Kenshin that was Battousai would never lift a hand against her, that he would always be there to keep her from harm.

__

For he will never hurt me. Not even when the beast inside him takes control.

Kaoru blinked. Where did THAT thought come from?

Kenshin sighed. "All right. It's just that I don't want to worry you—"

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Kenshin-love, you worry me the most when you try to keep things from me! You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know!"

"Okay! Okay!" said Kenshin, surrendering. "It's just that everything sounds so crazy that I don't even know where to begin."

"For starters, you can tell me about your nightmares," said Kaoru soberly. "You can't sleep. You've been dreaming about your past again, haven't you?"

Kenshin was silent for a few moments, trying to collect his thoughts. Finally he spoke, in a sad, quiet voice.

"Not just my past." He bent his head, his red hair falling over his eyes, hiding most of his face from view. "It's like everything I see in my dreams is all twisted up. Like I enjoyed—" He choked and lowered his voice. "Like I enjoyed killing all those people."

"Oh, Kenshin." Kaoru drew close again to her husband's shuddering form. Very gently, she brushed his red hair away from his forehead. Golden eyes looked down at her, filled not with rage, but anguish. 

"I didn't do it that way," said Kenshin, reverting unconsiously back to his Battousai persona. "I killed them. They deserved to die so they died. But to _enjoy _it—" He closed his eyes, shook his head in disgust. 

"But they're _dreams—"_

"Yes, they are but they're something more." Kenshin opened his eyes and Kaoru saw with relief that they had shifted back to their normal color. "And last night the nightmare turned into—" He struggled for the words. "In that dream, I killed a man…by…" He shuddered again. "I drank his blood. Just like a gaki."

__

And I almost turned on you as well, love. Mentally, Kenshin recoiled from that awful image. _I will never _never _do that!_

And you won't, said that new little voice in his mind. _For she loves you, accursed and stained as you are…_

An image flashed in Kenshin's mind…Kaoru reaching out to a hideous creature curled up in the shadows, her blue eyes filled with love…

"Ooooh!" Kaoru stamped her foot in fury, snapping Kenshin back to reality. "That Saitoh! I knew that insufferable Wolf got to you!"

This time, it was Kenshin who put a silencing finger on her lips. "Saitoh didn't get me, though he certainly tried. But what he said can't be put aside."

"But you heard him," protested Kaoru. "He himself said that his only witness was a crazy old man."

"Jay-dono and Iggy-dono have a friend who looks just like me. People are being murdered and then Saitoh comes around and says the killer could possibly look like me. At the same time, I've been dreaming of killing people." Kenshin shook his head. "No. There's just too many coincidences. And somehow, they're all connected to me."

"That's crazy!" Kaoru exploded. "You're making yourself guilty over something you didn't do!"

Kenshin gave her a rueful little smile. "I'm not making myself guilty over this. There is some kind of connection here. I just don't know what it is yet." He scanned her face, his expression both anxious and earnest. "I know it sounds crazy, love. But that's why I didn't want to talk about it. Please, believe me."

Kaoru sighed. "I believe you, Kenshin." She briefly stroked his scarred cheek, then she tugged at his hand. "Come on, let's finish the marketing."

Kenshin blinked. "Oro?"

Kaoru hastily stifled a slightly hysterical giggle. "I'll think about our problem while we shop."

"Our problem?"

"Yes, our problem. Married people are supposed to help each other—oof!" She winced and put a hand over her still-small belly.

As usual, Kenshin fussed over her. "Kaoru! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said and looked down in exasperation at her tummy. "Mou! You're too young to be moving around yet!"

"Oro?"

Kaoru gave another long-suffering sigh. "My stomach twisted, that's all. Megumi told me that it happens. But I sort of think the kid in here is agreeing with me."

Kenshin began to laugh. "I do love you, Kaoru." He gently patted her tummy. "And you too, little one."

"You silly…"

The two of them walked along in a companionable silence, taking a short cut through the alleys and little side streets. They were passing by the back of a local teahouse when Kaoru gave a little yelp of surprise and tripped.

Kenshin caught her before she hit the ground and steadied her on her feet. "Are you all right?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

"I'm okay. What was that—" Kaoru looked back and saw that she had tripped over someone's leg.

A dead someone.

She gasped. "Kenshin! He's—"

Kenshin knelt on the ground and turned the dead man over. An empty flask of sake lay near his hand, the spilled contents already dried away, leaving a sour smell in the air, mixed with the scent of blood. There should have been more blood there. The man's throat had been torn wide open, his jugular ripped apart. But there was hardly any blood left in his body, the empty veins practically visible through the ashen pale skin.

Kenshin went white when he saw the dead man's face. "Oh gods…" he whispered. 

Kaoru put a hand on his shoulder. "Kenshin, what is it?"

"This man," he murmured in stricken tones. "This man was the same one I saw in my dream last night."

__

The man that I killed…by drinking all his blood.

****

IN THE NEXT CHAPTERS: It's time to bug Saitoh (Finally!). Father Rosetti's friends finally come to town (thought I forgot him, huh?). AND SCHIZOPHRENIA!! PSYCHOSIS!! SPLIT PERSONALITIES GALORE!! Wahahahahaha! Um. Excuse me. I've been listening to too much Castlevania soundtrack music. Symphony of the Night is sooooo cool!

****

__


End file.
